beautifully broken

are you beautifully broken?

In a world that repeatedly breaks our hearts, our deepest pain can also be our greatest source of joy and purpose. Brokenness draws us to God like no other condition can. He is the only One who can give us true hope and use our pain for His glory and for His good purpose. The deepest hurts of our fallen world may be inescapable, but God also promises us that He is "our refuge and strength" (Psalm 46:1-2), the deliverer of all our fears (Psalm 34:4) and the One who wants to use for good the pain of those who belong to Him (Romans 8:28).

"it's a long way from west africa"

Listen out for that quote in this tearjerker Folgers' Christmas commercial playing on a TV somewhere in your house this season! After a long and beautiful journey through West Africa, I am thankful to be home for the holidays!

goodbye guilt

Ever left a place or people whom you love -- and felt guilty? On my second return from Liberia, I struggled with guilt like I never have in my life. Read my new column up at Boundless called "Goodbye Guilt."

black diamond

Ever met a "Black Diamond?" I have. Read my latest column over at Boundless. Then, leave a comment here or  join the discussion over at the Boundless blog.

speak to me gently

living wounds

Ah, I've been thinking about the Fort Hood shooting victims and their families.

About two weeks ago, I met a sweet girl (I'll call her "Annie") who had been accidentally shot in the face. I've never seen someone fight through that kind of physical trauma ... it is heartbreaking to see. Annie's face is swollen. Shrapnel marks graze her cheeks. Her eyes are shut tightly and likely never will reopen. Her mouth is tattered. She had to have a tracheotomy so she could breathe.

"don't react off of love"

overseas overeating

I've long struggled with my weight.

Read what I've been learning about emotional eating and what I'm trying to do to change my habits.

New column called "Overseas Overeating" is up at Ungrind!

a waving flag

When I get older, I will be stronger.

They'll call me freedom, just like a waving flag.

And then it goes back, and then it goes back, and then it goes back.

Born to a throne, stronger than Rome

but violent prone, poor people zone.

But it's my home, all I have known.

Where I got grown, streets we would roam.

But out of the darkness, I came the farthest,

Among the hardest survival.

more on black baby dolls

Perhaps you read my post about collecting black baby dolls for girls in Liberia. Young girls often do not have access to toys much less dolls that look like themselves.

Here's an interesting post to folo on that from a new online magazine I started writing for this month.

wounded healer

"For the minister is called to recognize the sufferings of his time in his own heart and make that recognition the starting point of his service. Whether he tries to enter into a dislocated world, relate to a convulsive generation, or speak to a dying man, his service will not be perceived as authentic unless it comes from a heart wounded by suffering about which he speaks."

-- Henri Nouwen from The Wounded Healer

speed polish

I  just used Sally Hansen Insta-Dri nail polish to give myself a quick manicure. It has a thick brush that can slick the entire nail in one fail swoop, and it dries in a ridculously quick amount of time. About 30 seconds and wha-la!

I'm taking this with me to Pretty & Polished this Saturday, and I encourage you to bring your own "speed polish" if you are going.

Quick-drying nail polish is a sure way to beat any impatience coming from sweet, little old ladies. :)

bad day

Where is the moment we needed the most

You kick up the leaves and the magic is lost

They tell me your blue skies fade to gray

They tell me your passion's gone away

And I don't need no carryin' on

You stand in the line just to hit a new low

You're faking a smile with the coffee you go

You tell me your life's been way off line

You're falling to pieces every time

And I don't need no carryin' on

Because you had a bad day

You're taking one down

You sing a sad song just to turn it around

You say you don't know

You tell me don't lie

You work at a smile and you go for a ride

You had a bad day

The camera don't lie

You're coming back down and you really don't mind

You had a bad day

You had a bad day

-- excerpted from "Bad Day" by Daniel Powter

did Jesus get into an emotional funk?

Well, did he?

nowhere to now here

Take this love

Calls your name

No need to walk alone

From nowhere to now here

-- excerpted from "Nowhere to Now Here" by The Kin

kangaroo care

When I got back from Liberia a few weeks ago, I decided to continue my hospital work. For about three months I worked in a remote hospital in northern Liberia alongside a chaplain. I met many women and newborn babies at their bedsides and had the privilege of praying for and encouraging many people who were suffering in a facility severely lacking the technology and resources of hospitals in the United States.

The differences are stark, and I still can't get over how fortunate we are to have so many resources to serve the sick, dying and grieving in the United States.

I'm volunteering at one of the hospitals in my hometown right now, working on a pediatric oncology floor and in a nursery filled with preemies. I count this as another huge privilege to encourage and care for people who are in distressing and very sad situations.

Caring for the little babies has made me think more and more about our relationship with God. At that young age, they need someone to care for their every need. They can't survive without touch. At the hospital, the nurses encourage something called "kangaroo care," which essentially is skin-t0-skin contact between a mother and child. It aids in the healthy development of the newborn and in digestion. Amazing! I also read this article about research that concludes that babies who are held regularly experience less pain following a painful procedure, in this case, the lancing of their baby heels.